One of the largest and most popular hot air balloon festivals in the entire world is held every year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Known as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, more than 500 balloons participate the in multiple mass ascensions during the festival representing 19 different countries. In addition to traditionally shaped balloons, more than 100 specially shaped balloons participated in the event in 2012, including a lion’s head, an ice cream cone, an elephant, a woodpecker, and a fireman’s helmet. [Read more…]

Named after famous bike racer Ned Overend, Overend Mountain Park in Durango, Colorado is over 300 acres of singletrack trails for hiking or mountain biking. Known as “test tracks” to the locals, the trails here are as varied as you can get in such relatively small biking area. In just a few miles you can ride or hike buttery smooth trails, cross rough bridges, ride burns, turn on banks, go over jumps, bumpy trails, and climb or descend nearly 1,000 feet in elevation. The trails wind through scrub brush, green grass, and forested gullies, while often criss crossing back on themselves offering multiple opportunities to see what’s around another corner. [Read more…]

Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona is located on Navajo Land and just South of Lake Powell. Created by the erosion of the desert sandstone by flashfloods over many centuries, the canyon walls are extremely smooth and curved with the flow of the water. The bed of the canyon is a steep 120 feet below [Read more…]

The Emerald Lake hike starts at the Pine River trailhead in Vallecito, Colorado. Stop in to The General Store on your way for locally made beef jerky and last minute supplies. There is a campground at the trailhead if you want to stay the night and get an early start. Emerald Lake is about 13 miles into the Weminuche Wilderness from the trailhead, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea. The first several miles are relatively flat over a well traveled trail. Be aware that hikers must yield to horses (donkeys and alpacas too), of which there are many in the summer and early fall. The grassy pastures through which the Pine River flows and a couple of private ranches will be your view for only the first couple of miles until you reach the wilderness area. The trail here starts to climb slowly. By the time you [Read more…]

The Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) offers everything from back country skiing to horse drawn sleigh rides.

Formerly known as Purgatory, and still called so by locals, DMR has worked in recent years to rebrand themselves as a family friendly resort. With 85 trails, two terrain parks, and over a 2,000-foot drop from the summit to the base, DMR has a trail for every skill level.[Read more…]